De Graaf/TwentyPlus/IOM DTA (Double Tax)

[portseven]

If it true that De Graaf have applied for a judicial review?

Yep, I can confirm this. Have had a few e-mails from them saying they have

[FloggingDolphin]

Hiya...

AFAIK, initially they were called TwentyPlus, first I heard of them was in late 2006. Anyway, I think they belonged or were closely linked to an employment agency and after that they left. My impression was that they dealt with accountants because people I heard it from, and myself were ones.

Anyway, aparently, they said that HMRC sent out some 50,000 letters (I can't confirm if that's only De Graaf customers or the grand totals) regarding the DTA retrospective thingy. Otherwise I can't say how many users De Graaf has. I can say that they're fairly confident that they'll win the case, whatever you call it.

My personal feeling was that they started getting from say...mid-2006.

Not too sure about the self-assesments (actually, don't quite understand the question), but I'm guessing: most of them?

Personally, I just entered into it (tax structure) without any knowledge how the whole thing works other than being guaranteed that it's legal and that they (DeGraaf) weren't some fly-by-light (one of my colleagues actually met one of their staff in person). They sent me a comparison quote of what I currently made and what I could be making, and I went for it.
Didn't think there would be any problems with the taxman, was constantly re-assured not to worry about anything, until mid this year when i got a letter from hmrc. Call me naive... *shrug*

Regarding DeGraaf:

Do you know when they first started operating their scheme? Montpelier/MTM started in 2001.

Do you have any feel for how many users they've got? I have made the assumption that Montpelier, with 1500+, is on a much bigger scale.

The reason I ask is that HMRC are claiming that the number of users of these schemes reached an "unprecendented scale" in 2007. Now, I know that the number of Montpelier users under enquiry did not grow that much last year but I'm wondering when DeGraaf clients started hitting the Revenue radar screens.

Do you know if many DeGraaf self-assessments were submitted in Jan 2007? These would have been for tax year 2005/6.

Thanks!
DR

[DonkeyRhubarb]

Anyway, aparently, they said that HMRC sent out some 50,000 letters (I can't confirm if that's only De Graaf customers or the grand totals) regarding the DTA retrospective thingy.

Are you sure about that 50,000 number?

Montpelier have only signed up about 1500 users over 7 years, and I suspect DeGraaf, who haven't been operating as long, would probably only have a few hundred.

[FloggingDolphin]

Are you sure about that 50,000 number?

Montpelier have only signed up about 1500 users over 7 years, and I suspect DeGraaf, who haven't been operating as long, would probably only have a few hundred.

yup, that's what my colleague said the consultant told him. As mentioned before, it was 50,000 letters sent out, but I'm not sure whether all of them are to De Graaf clients (would quite doubt it) or everyone using using DTA protection.

[FloggingDolphin]

Hi there,

Just got a confirmation:

There are about 600 people in De Graaf affected by BN 66.
They also said there are apparently a lot of other companies who're offering similar schemes and whose clients are now affected.

Hope that kinda clears it up.

[DonkeyRhubarb]

Hi there,

Just got a confirmation:

There are about 600 people in De Graaf affected by BN 66.
They also said there are apparently a lot of other companies who're offering similar schemes and whose clients are now affected.

Hope that kinda clears it up.

Thanks. I will cross-post this on the BN66 thread.

[BrilloPad]

Hi there,

Just got a confirmation:

There are about 600 people in De Graaf affected by BN 66.
They also said there are apparently a lot of other companies who're offering similar schemes and whose clients are now affected.

Hope that kinda clears it up.

So between montp and de graff about 2000-2500? How many other companies? Any other JRs gone in?

[TakenForARide]

HMRC bill me £1500 interest!

Appreciate this is an old subject, but HMRC are now sending out bills, that in my case include £1500 penalty interest charge! Is anyone else feeling like I am, that deGraaf (or their lawyers) should be paying this? The Trust told me not to make settlement on this 2007 income (I have all the letters) and now they have vanished, leaving me to pay £4800 income tax plus £1500 penalty. Do we have a class action where someone is held accountable?

[washed up contractor]

Appreciate this is an old subject, but HMRC are now sending out bills, that in my case include £1500 penalty interest charge! Is anyone else feeling like I am, that deGraaf (or their lawyers) should be paying this? The Trust told me not to make settlement on this 2007 income (I have all the letters) and now they have vanished, leaving me to pay £4800 income tax plus £1500 penalty. Do we have a class action where someone is held accountable?

Who do you think can be held accountable if the scheme promoters have gone AWOL? Oh, good luck suing lawyers if that's what you want to do.

[BrilloPad]

Appreciate this is an old subject, but HMRC are now sending out bills, that in my case include £1500 penalty interest charge! Is anyone else feeling like I am, that deGraaf (or their lawyers) should be paying this? The Trust told me not to make settlement on this 2007 income (I have all the letters) and now they have vanished, leaving me to pay £4800 income tax plus £1500 penalty. Do we have a class action where someone is held accountable?

Can I ask when you received your bill?

De Graaf has gone. There is no class action. You could hire an accountant to challenge the amount. However you are unlikely to get anywhere.

Sadly the best course of action (in fact the only course of action) is to pay up.